2026 Talent 100 Honoree

Andrea DeBrino

Director, Talent Acquisition Enablement, Light & Wonder

“I was volunteering so much to help with recruitment efforts that I got to the point where I wondered, could I do this full time?”

For Andrea Debrino, recruiting was not the original plan.

Her professional career began at Deloitte, where she worked as an auditor and was midway through pursuing her CPA. She was strong in the role, but another part of the business kept pulling her attention: recruiting.

While working in audit, she became heavily involved in Deloitte’s recruiting efforts on a volunteer basis. The office she worked from lacked recruiting representation, so she stepped in wherever she could, helping support campus and talent initiatives while still managing her full-time audit responsibilities.

Over time, that volunteer work began to feel less like an extra responsibility and more like a calling.

“I was volunteering so much to help with recruitment efforts that I got to the point where I wondered, could I do this full time?”

Although a recruiting role was not available at Deloitte at the time, the company supported her involvement and encouraged her interest. Eventually, she applied for a campus recruiter position with MGM Resorts International.

Despite being told she had the least recruiting experience of any candidate in the process, she performed strongly in the interviews and was given the opportunity.

Soon after starting, she was thrown directly into the deep end when her leader went on maternity leave almost immediately.

“I had to figure it out all by myself,” she recalls.

That experience became a defining moment. From there, she continued building her career in recruiting and talent leadership, eventually realizing she could not imagine doing anything else.

Learning Through Mentorship and Community

Throughout her career, Andrea has leaned heavily on mentorship, collaboration, and the people around her.

During her time in agency recruiting, one of her leaders became especially influential in helping her grow not only as a recruiter but also as a professional brand-builder and strategic thinker.

That leader helped her understand how to approach recruiting more creatively, think outside the box, and develop a stronger sense of how to position herself and her work.

Later, during her time at Disney, mentorship became even more expansive.

Rather than relying only on recruiting leaders, Andrea sought guidance from people across different functions. She turned to cross-functional partners, peers, former leaders, and colleagues whose roles or perspectives helped her think differently about her own career.

One particularly meaningful mentor was Emma Lieberman, a VP she worked under and leaned on as a sounding board during important career decisions.

Emma helped her think through questions of growth, value, career direction, and opportunity.

When Andrea was preparing to leave Disney, that network became especially important.

“I leaned really heavily not just on my network and the people I look up to, but also on my peers.”

For Andrea, leadership and growth have never been shaped by one person alone. Instead, her career has been influenced by a broader community of people who challenged her, supported her, and helped her think more intentionally about her path.

Returning to the Why

As talent acquisition continues evolving, Andrea believes one of the most important things talent leaders can do is return to the basics.

With AI dominating many conversations heading into 2026, she believes leaders must avoid adopting technology simply because it is trendy.

Instead, they should begin with the deeper question: What are we actually trying to accomplish?

“If I’m thinking about redoing my entire candidate journey, what is it I’m actually trying to accomplish?”

For Andrea, the starting point should not be where AI can be inserted. It should be the purpose behind the work.

Whether redesigning the candidate journey, evaluating interview processes, or improving recruiter workflows, she believes leaders need to understand the “why” before selecting the tool or solution.

That mindset allows talent teams to think more strategically about downstream impact, organizational alignment, and candidate experience.

Using AI With Intention

Andrea recognizes that AI can create meaningful efficiencies, but she also believes talent leaders must be thoughtful about where and how it is applied.

For example, AI may help return time to recruiting teams, but leaders still need to ask whether the candidate experience remains personalized, human, and valuable.

If AI is introduced into the interview process, talent leaders should consider whether it helps candidates learn more about the company, feel nurtured, and leave the process with a better impression, even if they are not ultimately selected.

The goal should not simply be efficiency for efficiency’s sake.

Instead, AI should help recruiters become more strategic partners.

“It’s about asking what capabilities you need to support what you’re actually trying to do.”

That perspective has become especially important in her current work in talent enablement, where she partners closely with talent acquisition leaders across the business.

Her role requires helping leaders think beyond their own business units and consider the broader company-wide impact of talent decisions.

Thinking Beyond the Short Term

One of Andrea’s strongest pieces of advice for talent leaders is to resist thinking only in small pockets or short-term fixes.

She believes many teams become misaligned because they focus too heavily on immediate needs, trendy solutions, or isolated business unit priorities without considering the broader talent ecosystem.

That short-term thinking can lead to burnout, misalignment, and constant restructuring.

Instead, Andrea encourages leaders to take a holistic view.

How can recruiters become the best of the best?

How can the candidate experience become stronger?

How can candidates leave the process better than they entered it, even if they are declined?

How can talent acquisition align more closely with where the business is going?

For Andrea, these are the questions that matter most.

“People tend to lose sight of the bigger picture and focus on the short term.”

Advice for Talent Leaders Heading into 2026

As AI and new technologies continue shaping the future of talent acquisition, Andrea encourages leaders to stay grounded in purpose.

Before introducing a tool, redesigning a process, or pursuing a new trend, talent leaders should ask what problem they are truly solving and how the solution supports the organization, recruiters, and candidates.

Her advice is clear: do not be afraid to push back, ask better questions, and look at the full picture.

By combining strategic thinking, candidate-centered design, and a commitment to understanding the “why” behind every initiative, A. Debrino represents the kind of talent leader prepared to help organizations navigate change with clarity and intention.

About the Talent 100

The Talent 100 is an annual list spotlighting the leaders who push HR and talent acquisition forward, organized by Noon AI. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees — selection is entirely merit-based, with no fees or pay-to-play requirements.